


Take this Night

by ladygrey_14



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Canon, Canonical Alternate Universe, Enemies, Gen, Ice Cream Queen and Pumpkin King, No Underage Sex, Not Rosewick, Other, Rating May Change, Roman Torchwick is alive, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-18
Updated: 2017-11-18
Packaged: 2019-02-03 20:48:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12755937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladygrey_14/pseuds/ladygrey_14
Summary: In which Roman Torchwick is caught and imprisoned by Ironwood after his fight with Ruby during the war of Beacon. Ruby pays him some visits in the subsequent years. Canon until Volume 3 Chapter 11.





	Take this Night

**Day 3**

 

“Uhm, any rules I should be aware of? I just talk? Is he going to be behind glass or something? How much time do I have? Is there anything I’m not allowed to say?” Ruby asked quickly, rambling on as she typically tended to do when she was nervous.

 

Ironwood, unfazed by the young Huntress’s long-winded speech, replied in his usual mechanical tone. “His hands are free, but his feet are chained to a chair – the chair is bolted to the floor, but nonetheless, don’t get too close. Take all the time you need, though I can’t imagine you’ll be able to stand him for more than a few minutes.  Anything that’s not military information is okay. There’s cameras in the room and we’ll keep an eye on the video feed. Don’t worry, Miss Rose. If he tries anything, we’ll be there in seconds.”

Ruby nodded and followed Ironwood down a long, bare corridor, stepping after him into a plain elevator as he pressed the last button, P6. The elevator doors opened to a seemingly identical corridor, but the air was noticeably thicker. _Underground,_ she thought as she followed the General. He led her to a thick reinforced steel door and punched a lengthy code into an adjacent screen. A series of locks audibly clicked.

“Beckon in the direction of one of the cameras once you’re ready to leave” he said simply, gesturing to the door. Ruby turned around for a last look at Ironwood, surprised to notice several armed men behind him. She hadn’t heard them come into the corridor. She grimaced. _Environmental awareness, Ruby. This could get you killed someday._ Warily, she grabbed the handle and opened the door.

As stated by Ironwood, Torchwick was sitting on a chair in the middle of the room, his feet chained. A loose chair was situated several feet away. Ruby took a second to take in Torchwick – without his bowler hat, he looked _wrong_ somehow. His suit, white jacket and scarf were also missing: instead, he was dressed in a plain grey shirt and matching grey pants. Most noticeable of all was his lack of eyeliner, without which he looked unsettlingly normal. _He’s not that old,_ Ruby thought a little sadly. In fact, the only thing that looked anything like Torchwick in the man in front of her was the bright orange hair covering his right eye and the slight smirk adorning his face. Ruby glanced to the corners of the room, quickly spotting the cameras.

 

“Don’t worry Red, there’s no audio feed. You can start professing your undying love for me anytime now.”

Ruby blushed furiously. How dare he suggest such a thing? She tried to control her facial expression, but Roman had clearly caught it already, sniggering at her obvious mortification. Ruby recovered quickly.  

“How would you even know that the cameras don't have audio? You’ve only been here for 3 days, and locked up at that!”

He sighed overdramatically in obvious displeasure. “ _Honestly_ , Red, I’m a _crimelord._ This isn’t the first time I’ve been imprisoned by my dear gaoler. Do you _really_ think I wouldn’t have done any recon on Atlesian correctional facilities? I thought you were smarter than that…" he eyed her critically. "On second thought, scratch that last part.”

Ruby frowned, ready to retort, when she noticed Torchwick was holding his left arm at an odd angle. _Is that why they didn’t tie up his hands?_

“What happened to your arm? Angry you got caught and punched a wall or something?”

“Your friends have interesting _interrogation_ methods” he spat back, unsmiling.  

“Oh,” she replied dumbly, taken aback by the answer. She sat down on her own chair and glanced at his arms again, suddenly noticing scars and abrasions decorating the skin.

 

“Did they do the cuts and burns too?" 

He rolled his eyes. “What in the world do they teach you at that useless school? As you’ve so cleverly pointed out already, I’ve been here _three_ days. How exactly do you propose the scar tissue advanced this much already?”

“Uhm, Aura? I’ve seen you use yours in fights. It heals wounds.”

“So they _do_ teach you nothing.” He rolled his eyes again and clicked his tongue. “Aura, when it’s not depleted, heals _minor_ wounds. When it heals a wound, it heals it completely and mends the skin. Wouldn’t all your little Hunter friends be covered in lovely scars if Auras did this poor a job?” 

Ruby cast her eyes down, a little defeated. “Oh. So, how’d you get them then?”

“That, my dear, is precisely none of your business” he replied curtly.

 

“What if you get to ask me a question, and then you answer mine?”

He seemed about to shoot down her offer, but snapped his mouth shut, seemingly pensive. He bit his lip, and then spoke in an uncharacteristically soft voice. “Is… is Neo alive?”

Ruby frowned. “Neo… that’s the umbrella girl, the one with the brown, pink and white hair?” He nodded slightly. “Well, I mean, I did ask Ironwood if they caught her, and he said no and asked me what happened up there and where she went because she wasn’t on the ship after you got caught, and I told him last I saw she was floating down from the Bullhead. Since he had to ask me, obviously he doesn’t have her locked up or anything. There’s wanted posters and stuff for her, so I don’t know if she’s alive, but if she’s dead, they haven’t found her body.”

Torchwick nodded gravely, abstaining from making any kind of witty remark for once. “So, I answered your question, now you have to answer mine. How’d you get all the scars on your arms?” she asked curiously.

“Oh, here and there. My parents, my first foster parents, and some years on the streets before my Aura unlocked,” he said evenly, nonplussed.

“But… why would a parent do that to a kid?” she asked, flabbergasted. She had expected the wounds to have been dealt by other criminals, or maybe Hunters, but not _this_. 

“Tsk tsk, follow-up inquiries weren’t part of the deal, Red. I answered your question. I may be locked up, but I’m in no way obligated to enlighten you about my _oh so enthralling_ past. I’m still waiting on you to answer the most important question here.”

“And what’s that?”

“Isn’t it obvious? _Why_ are you paying my riveting self a visit? You’re here without the rest of your little overenthusiastic posse, so I’m inclined to believe that they wouldn’t approve of your choice in company” he sneered.

 

Ruby shut her eyes, trying to organize her thoughts into coherent words. “This attack on Beacon… it was all so _pointless._ Penny and Pyrrha died…people I loved. They didn’t have to. It was... it was all for nothing. Why did you do it?”

“I made my reasons abundantly clear on top of the Bullhead several nights ago: I’m a gambling man, and Cinder’s team won’t be stopped by anyone, so I might as well do what I do best alongside them – lie, steal, cheat, survive, _yada yada_. One of my best monologues, if I do say so myself. I’m wounded you’ve forgotten it so quickly. As for your little friends, as far as I’m concerned, the people Cinder has killed are not on my head… and this Penny was an Atlesian robot. You’re shedding tears over an overpriced toaster oven.”

Ruby stood up abruptly, fuming. “How… how dare you! Penny was a real girl!” she screamed, tears threatening to spill over. “She had an Aura, and a Semblance, and feelings, and she was my friend!”

Torchwick simply raised an eyebrow and smirked. Ruby beckoned at one of the cameras, quickly stomping out of the room as soon as she heard the locking mechanisms click. The door shut behind her with an audible thud.

 

“Until next time, Red.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> What do you think? Leave me kudos, comments and suggestions! This is my first work in many moons. 
> 
> The title is based on This Night, a song by Black Lab.


End file.
